Fading Sunset
by Tragedyluver
Summary: Yugi is slowly dieing. Visit his final challenges and his pain. sadness beware
1. Chapter 1

This story is one that has bee running through my head for ages. Finally wrote it down. I believe it may actually be a long one. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Don't own Yugioh….bite me already.

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**Fading Sunset**

Yugi sat quietly on the bench looking out towards the ocean. His hands were folded gently in his lap; his back slouched as he watched the sun slowly set. Soft colors splashed across the sky and gently reflected off the sparkling water.

Everyday for the past six months he would come down to the peer and silently watch, reminiscing about his life. He was only eighteen years old and he had seen more things than most people had ever dreamed of. But soon it would end.

He had been diagnosed about five years ago of a certain heart condition. He was told he would only live another two years. He shocked them all by living an extra three. He knew though that his life was coming to an end. He could feel it. His body was growing weaker everyday and the pain in his chest and arm increasingly grew with each beat his heart took. No, it wouldn't be much longer.

Cringing, Yugi coughed. It hurt to cough. It felt like someone had taken a knife and shoved it straight through his heart. Holding his chest in pain he once again looked toward the horizon. He didn't mind dying; he had come to terms with that long ago. He just wished it didn't have to hurt so much.

The light was just about gone. Yugi didn't mind. He often stayed a while longer. Sighing he leaned back against the bench, letting his body relax further.

His friends knew a little bit about his condition thanks to his grandfather, but he himself never really elaborated on any of it. He didn't want them to worry too much. But knowing them they were probably doing a lot of it right now. The moment he's put in a hospital is the moment they'll understand, but right now they could wait.

As the last color of purple faded away allowing the black of the night to take over, Yugi pulled his jacket close and stood up. Feeling renewed and at ease he headed home.

The next morning Yugi awoke to his alarm clock singing away. Opening his eyes he glared at the piece of machinery. "Stupid thing." he muttered. "Why did Joey have to fix you?"

Sighing Yugi closed his eyes. His body was feeling exceptionally tired today. Blaming it on staying out too late Yugi attempted to reach up and shut the alarm off. He couldn't lift his arm. Confused he tried again. It was completely numb. Fear poked at his heart, but he forced himself to stay calm. 'It'll regain feeling in a moment.' He told himself.

Lying there he waited. He slept wrong that's all it was. He must have been laying on it and cut the circulation off. That idea was shot out the window when he realized he wasn't even lying on the correct side for that to happen. Fear poked at him again. Gritting his teeth he tried again. His fingers slightly twitched.

Okay, maybe his arm wouldn't move, but maybe he could stand up. Trying that idea he tried to move his legs. Weakly they moved. Now what? Taking his legs he tried to carefully throw them over the side of the bed. They went over, but with a little more force than he expected. His legs flopped to the floor and succeeded in taking the rest of his body with them. With a loud 'thud' Yugi fell to the floor and lay there, helpless.

'Crap," thought Yugi. 'I'm stuck.' There was no one else in the household to help him. What to do? He could wait for one of his friends to come by, but that would probably give them a heart attack. Not only that but it could be a while before anyone showed and at the moment he was very uncomfortable and the stupid alarm was still going off. Willing himself one last time he was able to slowly move his arm. Pushing himself up using the aid of his bed and his legs he was able to get himself into a sitting position. Now he was sitting, but what about standing? He tried to lift his arm to grab the top of his bed, but it only lifted about a foot above the floor and then flopped back down. Guess he was going to have to wait.

About twenty minutes later he heard the bell to the shop ring. He didn't know why he left the bell on the door. After the shop closed and his grandfather died there was no use for it. It was more for the sake of memory than anything else. "Yugi!" it was Tea. He could call out to her, but that would suggest he was helpless (which he was) and would worry her to no end. No, he was going to have to pretend.

Footsteps came up the stairs. Tea called again. Finally there was a knock on his door.

"Yes?" Yugi called. His voice was quieter than usual. It was a more of a rasp that came out. Clearing his throat he spoke again. Tea opened the door. Upon seeing Yugi she gasped and ran to her friend.

"Are you alright? What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"It's nothing. I just kinda fell out 'o bed." Yugi said smiling.

"How long have you been sitting here? Your alarm should have gone off twenty minutes ago!" she said. She checked his forehead and his pulse. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine, Tea. I must have slept through most of it." He lied. Tea looked at him sternly.

"Alright…if you say so. Now, hurry up and get dressed or we're going to be late." His friend said still unconvinced. Grabbing Yugi's hand Tea helped pull him up. She suddenly had to grasp Yugi's shoulders as he nearly fell forward trying to stay on his feet. When Yugi had regained his balance Tea looked at him disapprovingly.

"I'm fine. I swear." Yugi said with a small, nervous chuckle. Tea shook her head in frustration. "I'll be down in a minute." He told her. Nodding her head she left him in peace.

Sighing Yugi clutched his dresser. Noticing his alarm clock he gave it a wap and knocked it off. It fell to the ground with a 'clank' and burst into four different pieces. Hardly noticing he opened his drawer, took out his outfit, and proceeded to get dressed.

About twenty minutes later Yugi was still trying to put on his last sock. His arms had gained their strength back, but his legs were still a little weak. With a last effort he shoved the sock on and then plopped himself on to his bed. Breathing heavily he was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea. Taking a deep breath he stood back on his feet and headed out his door. He walked down the hallway and into the kitchen where Tea was sitting messing with her bracelet.

"Took you long enough." Tea joked.

"Couldn't find my sock." He lied again.

"Ready to go?"

"You go ahead and head outside. I'll be there in a minute." He said. She gave him a wary look, but he just smiled.

"Okay, hurry up though. The guys are pretty impatient." She said with a wag of her finger. When she had finally left the house Yugi walked to the cupboard.

"I feel like a walking medicine cabinet." He muttered pulling out his daily meds. He swallowed the handful of pills with a small drink of water. Coughing slightly he put his glass in the sink and proceeded to the stairs.

Stumbling, literally stumbling, down the stairs Yugi found Tea waiting patiently by the door. Her face was cast down and her hands clenched her purse in a knuckle white grip. Yugi cleared his throat to catch her attention. Jumping slightly Tea looked up in surprise.

"Took you long enough." She mockingly scolded. Yugi smiled, but he noticed her eyes were glossy and didn't hold their usual spark.

"What's wrong, Tea? You look upset." Yugi asked concerned.

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine." She smiled. Yugi nodded his head and directed toward the door.

"Shall we?"

"We shall." The two walked out the game shop and headed toward Domino Park.

Tea glanced every now and then at her friend. He was looking rather pale and more than once she noticed him stumble. Tears threatened her eyes. It was so hard to watch him deteriorate like this. He had been steadily getting worse throughout the past few weeks. It was obvious. Short walks were a chore for him, running was impossible, and even standing was becoming an issue. Bringing her hand to her face she quickly wiped away a stray tear that had fallen. Suddenly, Yugi gasped and a gripped Tea's arm.

"Yugi, what's wrong?!" Tea cried. She held on to Yugi's waist to keep him from falling.

"I-It's nothing. Can we just rest a bit?" he asked weakly.

"Sure." She said leading him to a bench. She gently brushed his bangs away from his face. "Maybe we shouldn't go. The guys will survive without us."

"No," Yugi said shaking his head. "We should really go. It just wouldn't be fair for the times they were there with me."

"But, Yugi." Tea spoke worriedly grasping his hand. "You shouldn't over exert yourself! You'll make yourself worse!"

"I'll be okay." He spoke reassuringly. "I'm just out of breath is all. I'll be fine." Tea looked at him sadly.

"But…"

"Come on. We're going to be late." Yugi took her hand and stood up. Tea smiled and stood up as well. The two walked again.

Yugi and Tea reached the park with minutes to spare. Quickly (or as quickly as Yugi was aloud without keeling over from exhaustion) they made their way to where the duels sign ups were about to start.

"Geez, what took you so long?" Joey asked jokingly.

"Couldn't drag myself out of bed this morning." Yugi replied plopping himself down on the bench. Tea just stood there silently eyeing her friend warily. Joey saw the look and bit his lip.

"You alright, Tea?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Everything's fine."

Joey and Tristan gave her a questioning look. She just shook her head and mouthed 'later.'

"So," Joey said trying to find a way to lighten the mood. Yugi hadn't noticed, or appeared to have noticed, what Tea had done. His head was resting on his fist. "You guys ready to join that new tournament coming up?"

"Yeah! I've been practicing new strategies like crazy!" Tristan replied excitedly. "I'm so going to own!"

"Fat chance! This'll be your first tournament." Joey teased poking Tristan in the ribs. "Besides, you got me to contend with and there's no way you can beat me."

"Hmph, I'll show you!" Tristan said defensively crossing his arms.

"I can't wait either. Everyone's joining this tournament! We'll be able to see all our old friends again." Tea stated, her mood suddenly changing.

"What about you, Yugi?" Joey asked. Yugi lifted his head and smiled.

"I'm not going to compete this tournament." He replied.

"What?!" The three friends asked in unison.

"Why not?" Joey asked stunned.

"I wanted to sit on the side lines and just watch you guys for once." Yugi said smiling.

"You sure? I mean you love to duel." Tea said in surprise.

"Yeah, man this ain't like you!" Tristan replied concerned.

"I thought it would be a nice change. And it would allow someone else to win for once, too." Yugi teased. The four laughed.

The grandfather clock sounded 8am. The park was becoming crowded with people. A large tent was in the center of the park with the words: "DUEL SIGN UP" printed on the front. A flock of people crowded around it waiting.

"You guys better get over there before the line gets too big." Yugi stated.

"Yeah, you wanna walk up there with us anyways?" Joey asked.

"No, they might get the wrong impression." Yugi replied.

"True." Tristan said. "We'll be right back." Joey and Tristan took off toward the line.

"Why don't you sign up, Tea?" Yugi asked.

"Nah, I don't want, too. I'm not much of a duelist." She replied sitting next to him.

"You sure? I'd think you'd have fun." Yugi pressed.

"Well, maybe. But…"

"Come on, just try it." Yugi pushed nudging her in the side. "Go run up there with Tristan and Joey.

"I know but it's just. I don't want to, you know, leave you alone on the side." She said solemnly. Yugi looked at her with a sad expression.

"Tea…don't miss out because of me. I'll be fine. And I'll feel guilty if you done sign up." Yugi said gently. He placed his hand on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Oh, alright if you insist." Tea sighed smiling. "I'll be right back then."

Yugi watched her take off and smiled.

When Tea had caught up with the two men Joey gently flicked her in the hand, worry was written all over his face.

"What happened today?" Joey asked concerned.

" Well," She said glancing back at Yugi who was staring off at a bunch of pigeons pecking at the ground. "When I went to pick him up this morning he wasn't waiting outside like he said he would. I went inside to see what he was doing and I ended up finding him on his floor. It looked as if he'd been sitting there for awhile."

"What was he doing?" Tristan asked confused.

"Nothing he was just sitting there. He looked so pale and tired. He told me he had just woken up and had 'accidentally' fallen out of bed. I thought it was kind of silly but when I tried to help him up h-he could barely stand!" Tears began to well up in her eyes at the memory. Taking a breath she continued. "Then, w-when we were walking he kept stumbling on his own feet. You know Yugi; he's not the type of person to trip! He's such a graceful little person. About half way to the park we had to stop and rest. H-he couldn't keep walking it was just too hard. I wanted him to stay home, but he insisted on going. He said he really wanted, too. He's getting worse!" Tea cried, tears escaping down her cheeks. She quickly brushed her hand across her face.

"Maybe, that's why he doesn't want to duel." Joey spoke softly. "He knows he won't be able to stand the exertion. It would wipe him out in the first ten minutes." Joey closed his eyes and rubbed his hair furiously. "Man, I feel like such a jerk! I should have checked up on him more. Ever since his grandfather died he's been getting worse with each passing moment and alls I could think of was the stupid tournament!"

"I know. But I think he doesn't want us to worry. He's afraid we'll get too caught up in his problem." Tea spoke wiping away her tears.

"Poor Yugi. Of all the people it had to be him. He's the last person that deserves this" Tristan stated sadly.

"We'll just need to keep an eye on him." Joey said.

Yugi sat there waiting. He stared at the birds with a slight fascination. Suddenly, a slight pang shot through his heart. Clutching his chest he took a deep breath. The pain disappeared as soon as it had come. Yugi let his hand drop to his lap. He suddenly felt exhausted. Closing his eyes he took a few deep breaths allowing his body to relax. He wasn't going to last much longer out here.

"Tired?" Yugi looked up and was met with a smirking CEO. "Shouldn't you be over there signing up with your stupid friends?"

"Hn? Oh, not this time. I'm just going to watch." Yugi replied.

"What?" Kaiba asked perplexed. "I was expecting you to jump for the chance!"

Yugi shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Are you dueling?" he asked. Kaiba shook his head no. "And there's no bad guy running loose so I think this'll be a good break."

"Hmph. I know you. There's more to it than that." Kaiba smirked folding his arms. Yugi just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Don't lie."

"I guess you caught me." Yugi chuckled. Kaiba noticed Yugi's voice wasn't as powerful as usual when they talked. He was quiet, almost weak sounding.

"What's the real answer?" Kaiba questioned folding his arms.

"Just a little sick." Yugi stated. "And I don't believe I'll be getting better anytime soon."

Kaiba opened his mouth to ask where that had come from when he noticed Joey and Yugi's other two friends walk up. Kaiba shut his mouth and gave them an uninterested glare.

"What's up, Kaiba?" Joey spoke with very little enthusiasm.

"Hmph." Was all he said. "I will talk to you later." He spoke to Yugi. Yugi smiled and nodded. Turning on his heel Kaiba walked away.

"What was all that?" Joey asked giving the retreating CEO a harsh glare.

"He just wanted to chat." Yugi stated. Joey sat on the ground and Tea sat next to Yugi on the bench, Tristan just stood.

"What do we do now?" Tristan asked suddenly bored. "The announcements don't start for another half hour."

"We can go out to eat." Joey offered.

"You just had breakfast." Tea stated.

"Your point?" Joey replied back.

"Why don't we just hang about?" Yugi suggested. He really was in no mood to go walking unless it was back home.

"Alright, works for me." Tristan said.

The four friends sat around in the shade, talking. Yugi didn't say much but instead let his back rest against the bench and listened. He felt so tired. Every now and then he'd catch one of his friends looking at him. He'd smile and they'd smile back, their worry slipping away for at least a moment.

The hour was gone in a flash. A man in a black suit stood on a large podium with a microphone. "Welcome duelists!" he announced. The four friends and everyone else in the park looked up to listen. Yugi tried to focus but he was having a terrible time. His arm was beginning to ache. His eyes tried to focus on the person but he just couldn't do it. Sighing he rubbed his head and gently touched Tea's hand.

"I'm gonna head home, if that's all right?" he whispered.

"I'll walk you there." She said quickly. The other two men hadn't noticed, their eyes transfixed on the man in the suit.

"I can wait if you want to hear the rest of the announcements." Yugi said leaning back against the bench.

"No, no! I can run back afterwards. " She stated.

"Thanks." Standing up shakily Yugi tapped Joey on the arm. "I'll see you guys later."

"Dude, I'll take you home." Joey spoke.

"I got it, Joey." Tea said.

"Okay, I'll check on you later." Joey said to Yugi. Yugi smiled and nodded his head. Joey and Tristan watched as the two people made there way out of the park.

"Do you think he's going to be alright?" Tristan asked. Joey shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know." He stated. They turned back to the announcer but their thoughts were on their best friend.

Tea walked Yugi back to the house. Numerous times they had to stop and rest until Yugi could catch his breath. When they finally reached the home and she was sure Yugi was going to be fine she raced back to the park. Yugi shut the door to his house and headed up stairs.

Yugi stood shakily in the hallway. Sweat beaded at his face and his body swayed. A small pang in his heart throbbed in his chest. This wasn't going to be a good day. Suddenly, Yugi grasped his chest in pain. Nearly falling he lowered himself to the floor. Gasping for breath he shut his eyes tight waiting for the pain to subside. It didn't. His vision became blurry and the boom began to spin. Leaning his back against the wall he shook his head trying to regain his sight. Darkness began to creep into his mind, the pain increased. His breaths rattled in his lungs until finally Yugi lost consciousness.

Joey knocked on the door of his best friend's house. He was feeling extremely worried. Earlier that day when Yugi had told them he wasn't going to compete Joey was shocked. He didn't want to believe that Yugi was getting worse but when he had seen Yugi touch his chest and grimace he couldn't deny it any longer.

Knocking again Joey waited. Still no response. Not eve n a sound. As more worry began to cloud his mind he gently pushed the door open.

"Yugi?" Joey called. No response. Looking about he noticed Yugi's shoes in the corner. He was still home. Walking around he headed up stairs. "Hey, Yug'! Where ya at, buddy?" He walked into the living room, still no sign. Scratching his head he looked around and then, there in corner, he saw him. Lying in the hallway between the bedroom and the family room was Yugi.

"Yugi!" Joey cried, rushing to his friend's aid. Grabbing his shoulders Joey shook him gently. "Yugi, wake up!" Joey's heart fluttered in fear. Bringing his fingers up to his friend's throat he felt for a pulse. It was faint and beating erratically. Reaching for his cell phone he dialed 911. Tears welled in his eyes and he hugged his friend tightly.

A few minutes later the paramedics still hadn't arrived. "Yug', come on, buddy." Joey whispered. Yugi's breaths were coming in short gasps. Joey held him tighter and buried his face in Yugi's hair. Where were the paramedics? Fear was gripping at his heart. Was Yugi going to be all right? "Please don't let him die!" Joey prayed.

Suddenly the ambulance drove in. The next moment flashed in a blur. Joey remembered being pulled back. Two men in white uniforms rushed forward and enveloped Yugi. Joey stood to the side in confusion and fear. He watched as the men placed a breathing mask upon his friends face, checked his pulse, and gently placed him on a stretched and wheeled him out. One of the men grabbed Joey by the shoulders and spoke. Joey was in such a state of shock he didn't hear a thing. The paramedic shook him slightly. Joey shook his head and tried to focus.

"I need you to tell me what happened." The man said urgently.

"I-I don't know. I found him like this." Joey stuttered.

"Do you know what could have caused it?"

"H-He's been sick. He's got some kind o' heart condition." Joey stated meekly.

"Alright, we're going to need you to come to the hospital. Is that okay?" Joey nodded. "There's a police officer that will give you a ride, go with him."

"O-okay." A man in a blue uniform gently took Joey's shaking arm and led him to a flashing police car. Joey watched as the ambulance zoomed off taking his best friend with it.

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Read and Review. The beginning always sucks so please bear with me. :D Thank you for reading!!

-Tragedyluver


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two!! YAY!! Updating is becoming a pain because I overloaded myself with different stories so I'm just jumpin' back and forth as the inspiration comes so…yeah. But Spring Break is here so I'm hoping everything will get all caught up. Hoping. Anyways enjoy! Read and review!!!

_Flashbacks_

**TV talk and titles**

'thoughts'

"normal speech" 

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**Fading Sunset Chap. 2: Realization**

Joey sat stiffly in the waiting room. A million questions ran through his troubled mind. Was Yugi going to be all right? Is he going to get better? Can the doctors save him? Joey dropped his face into his trembling hands. Why, of all the people, did this have to happen to Yugi? He was the last person who should deserve this. The doors to the waiting room opened. Joey leaped up and briskly brushed his tears away.

"Joey." Tristan spoke softly.

"Hi guys." Joey said shakily. He attempted a smile, but it was immediately turned into a frown when Tea ran up and embraced him. Joey had called his friends as soon as he reached the hospital.

"What happened?" Tea sobbed clutching on to Joey's shirt. Joey opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Tristan reached over and pulled Tea into a tight bear hug. Seating her and himself down on a bench he looked up to Joey.

"Is he all right?" he asked. Joey sat down and clenched his fists in his lap.

"I-I have no idea." Joey replied shrugging his shoulders. "They haven't said anything since I've been here."

"W-What happened?" Tea asked again, her voice was quiet and choked.

"I found him unconscious on the floor." Joey answered. He refused to go into any more detail as the memory flashed through his mind. "I-I d-didn't know what to do." Joey stuttered. His shoulders began to shake as he tried to suppress a sob. His two friends gazed sadly at him. Tea brushed her tears and walked over and sat beside her friend. Laying her head on his shoulder she hugged him close.

"You did the right thing, Joey. There was nothing else you could have done." Tristan said trying to sooth his friend.

"Maybe, but I feel almost responsible." Joey muttered.

"How so?" Tea whispered, her own sobs choking her words.

"I should have checked up on him more. I shouldn't have let him stay home by himself." Joey answered.

"We asked him remember? He wanted to stay home alone." Tea spoke.

"The only reason he wanted to stay home was because he didn't want us to watch what he was going through." Tristan replied meekly.

"I shouldn't have given him a choice!" Joey cried. "I promised his grandfather that I'd watch out for him. This is my fault!" Tristan leaped from his seat and grasped Joey roughly by his collar.

"Don't you dare blame yourself, Wheeler!" Tristan barked angrily. "You didn't cause Yugi to get sick and you didn't cause him to pass out. There was nothing you or I or Tea could have done to prevent it!"

"He's right, Joey." Tea spoke gently. "Maybe, this is what Yugi needs. The doctors will take care of him. Alls we can do is sit back and help Yugi through this." Joey nodded and once again brushed away his tears.

"Besides," Tristan spoke cheerfully. "Yugi's one of the strongest and most stubborn people we know. He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. He'll get through this."

"You're right. Yugi's not one to give up so easily." Joey smiled. Just then the door opened revealing a tall man in a lab coat holding a brown clipboard.

"Are you the friends of Mr. Yugi Mutou?" the doctor asked. The three nodded and stood up. "Have a seat." The three sat back down along with the doctor.

"Is he all right?" Tea asked urgently. The doctor sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Your friend is alive, but he's still unconscious." The doctor replied smoothly.

"Yeah, but is he going to be all right?" Joey asked nervous. The doctor clasped his hands together and bowed his head.

"Let me get straight to the point. Your friend is dying and I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it." The doctor replied.

"W-what do you mean by dying? Like at the age of thirty he's going to die or…" Tristan spoke concerned.

"More like he's got at the most two months left to live." The doctor replied solemnly. The three friends gasped. Tea put her hand across her mouth in shock, tears freely falling down her cheeks. Joey put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"T-This can't be happening." Joey whispered.

"I'm afraid it is and our records show that he's been dying of this for over five years, now. Most people die within the third year of diagnosis. Your friend has been battling this for a long time. He should have passed away two years ago."

"Is there no way to make him better?" Tea asked still sobbing. "Like a heart transplant or something."

"I'm afraid not. Even if we were to give him a transplant, his new heart would catch the same disease and do the same thing as his one now. The most we can do now is make him comfortable and dull his pain."

"What's going to happen to, Yugi?" Tristan asked.

"You're talking about the next stages he's going to go through? He right now is at stage two. There are a total of five. The first stage was dizzy spells and chest pains. The second stage is numbness, extreme weakness, worse chest pains, and trouble breathing. The third stage is: respiratory failure, fainting, seizures, and semi vegetative state. The fourth stage is coma, liver failure, and kidney failure. And the fifth stage is finally death. The last three stages happen within a three week period."

"And h-he only has two months left?" Tea asked trembling.

"Yes." Was the reply. The three friends bowed their heads each battling their own emotions. Tea was now sobbing bitterly into Joey's chest, Tristan had a few tears of his own fall down his cheeks, and Joey just stared at the floor in shock.

"Can we see him?" Joey rasped, his mouth dry. The doctor nodded.

"Your friend has a bunch of wires connected to his body. They're keeping him hydrated and nourished. He also has several tubes running through his nose to help him breathe. And there's a heart monitor above his head that will beep. I'm giving you the heads up now so you don't feel overwhelmed and panic, understand?" The three nodded their heads. "Then follow me."

Joey, Tristan, and Tea followed the doctor silently out of the waiting room and down a hallway. Reaching an elevator they climbed in a punched the number three. Upon reaching the third level they followed the man down another hallway and stopped at a closed room with the numbers 513 printed on the door. The doctor twisted the handle and pushed forward opening up to a dimly lit room with a little white hospital bed in the middle. Upon that hospital bed asleep lay their best friend, Yugi.

Gently entering the doctor closed the door behind them and left the four teenagers in peace. Tea wrapped in Tristan's arms shakily walked to Yugi's bedside. Gently she grabbed his hand minding the IV's. Joey proceeded to the other side and did the same.

"Yugi?" Tea called. She lifted her hand and brushed Yugi's bangs away from his face. Tears fell from her eyes and landed on the white pillow. "Can you hear me, Sweetie?"

"He looks so peaceful." Joey commented as he looked upon his dying friend. Yugi's face was smooth and serene. His long eyelashes barely touched his pale cheeks. The only sign that the poor boy was ill was the rasping noise he made every time he breathed. Kneeling down Joey made himself level with Yugi and gently whispered into his ear. "Hey, bud. It's me Joey, Tristan and Tea are here, too. We just want ya to know that we're here for ya and that when you wake up we'll all be waiting here. W-Were gonna help you through this, one step at a time. B-But first you gotta wake up." Joey choked. The sobs were becoming harder to suppress. "You gotta wake up."

Later that day Yugi still had not gained consciousness and yet his three friends still sat by his side. Tea gently brushed a stray hair away from Yugi's face. Sighing she let her eyes wander. Tristan was asleep in the chair next to her. His feet were propped up on another chair that had been brought in for Joey. Joey was standing gazing out the window. His expression was distant. Tea dropped her eyes back down to her unconscious friend. Resting her chin on guardrail she stroked Yugi's hand.

"He used to love to watch the sunset." Joey suddenly said his expression still lost in some memory. Tea looked back up and peered at her blonde friend questioningly. "No matter how sick he felt or how bad the weather was he'd walk down to the peer and just sit on the bench and watch the sun set. I remember finding him once. He looked so happy and peaceful like there wasn't a care in the world." Joey bowed his head and smiled. "I remember asking him why he loved it so much. What made the sunset so great that he would g\drag himself out of his house just to see it?

_"It reminds me of things." Yugi replied. _

_"Like what?" Joey questioned, sitting down on the wooded bench._

_"It reminds me that even though there's so much darkness in this world, so much grief and pain; that there are still some things that are beautiful and peaceful. During the day everything is always so busy and everyone is always in so much of a hurry that we forget to just slow down and enjoy ourselves. We take everything for granted and forget that we don't live forever. And if the only way you can appreciate life is to walk out into the frigid cold, then so be it." Yugi smiled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "That was probably a pretty corny answer." _

_"Nah, Yug' that ain't corny." Joey said smiling. "What you said is true. We get so caught up in our own problems and everything that we forget to just take a breath and 'smell the roses' so to speak." The two sat in silence for a while and gazed, entranced at the beautiful mix of colors splashing across the sky._

_"You know what else the sunset reminds me of?" Yugi spoke quietly. Joey turned to his friend curious. "It reminds me of our friends."_

_"How so?" Joey asked._

_"Well, each color represents a different friend. Each has it's own personality; it's own traits. Independently a color would just be another spec in the spectrum. It goes unnoticed. But when you bring those colors together it creates something beautiful. Each color plays it's own part in the picture. Each complements another. It's the same thing with friends. Friendship is like the big picture and each friend is a different color. Independently a person would go unnoticed. You're just another person walking down the sidewalk. But when you bring them together you create something like this sunset." Yugi took a breath and bowed his head. "You may not understand what I mean Joey, but when I see the sunset it makes me grateful that I could be apart of something just as wonderful."_

"He was right, Tea." Joey whispered. "At first I really didn't understand, but I do now. And now that I do I feel more appreciative of the things and the people I have. I understand why he loves it so much."

Tea smiled, new tears brimmed her eyes. She turned her head back to Yugi and stroked his hair. 'Only Yugi.' She thought.

Two days later)

"Seto!" Mokuba yelled running into his big brother's office.

"Mokuba, I'm working." Kaiba replied sternly. His fingers were typing flawlessly across the keyboard.

"But it's important, Seto!" he cried. Kaiba looked up at his little brother and was surprised to see tears streaming down his face. Suddenly, Kaiba feared the worse. A million scenarios flashed through his mind.

"What's wrong?" Kaiba asked urgently halting his typing.

"It's Yugi!" Mokuba sobbed embracing Kaiba in a tight hug. "He's in the hospital! T-They said he's going to die."

"What? Who said that?" Kaiba asked confused holding Mokuba close as the boy cried into his shirt.

"The news." Was the muffled reply. Kaiba flicked a switch that opened up the nearest wall into a flat screen T.V. Reaching into his office desk he pulled out the remote and flicked it on. Flipping to the news he stared wide eyed as the newscasters reported the story.

**"…was found unconscious in his house Tuesday evening by his best friend. Paramedics picked him up after his friend called 911 and rushed him to the Domino City Hospital."** The female newscaster reported. Another screen suddenly popped up presenting a doctor.

**"Mr. Mutou has been battling this disease for over five years now. We're estimating that he will die within the next two months."** The doctor spoke.

**"Is there no treatment that can save him?"** The newscaster asked.

**"I'm afraid it's terminal. Nothing can be done."** The doctor replied sadly. The screen of him disappeared.

**"Yugi Mutou is only 19 years old. In other news…" **Kaiba flipped the television off and stared at it in horror. His conversation with Yugi flashed through his mind.

_"I don't plan on getting better anytime soon."_

"Can we go visit him, Seto? Please?" Mokuba suddenly asked, tears still streamed down his face. Kaiba didn't answer immediately.

"Why don't we wait?" Kaiba suggested. "Let me call one of his friends and see how he's doing first."

"But…"

"Yugi's family probably doesn't want anyone around right now." Kaiba spoke kindly.

"Okay." Mokuba sniffed. "But you promise we'll go see him?"

"I promise." Kaiba said reassuringly. Mokuba nodded and wiped his tears. Looking up at his older brother he smiled and gave him one last hug.

"Thanks, Seto." He said before walking out the door. As soon as the door was closed Kaiba picked up the telephone and dialed the operator. He wanted some questions answered.

"I need the number for Tea Gardner."

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The end of chapter two!!!! This probably was a bad place to stop but if I kept going there would have been many more pages and right now I'm feeling lazy and evil so…yeah!! Now the question is: will Yugi wake up and if so what's going to be his next issue? Bum Bum Buuuuum. Next chapter!!!!

Review!!!!!!

-Tragedyluver


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! Long time no see! Sorry for the wait I've been writing the other stories and this one kind of got left in the dust. Hope you all still hold your interest. I thought I had stuck this chapter up a while ago until when I was recently reading through all my chapters and I discovered I never finished so…sorry. Please read and I hope you enjoy! (And if for some strange reason you feel the urge to review I will love you forever!! )

Enjoy!

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Fading Sunset chap.3:

Joey sighed exhausted. It was day two and Yugi still hadn't gained consciousness. The doctor told them it could be days even weeks until he'd awaken. And sometimes…never. Joey held Yugi's hand tighter. Tristan groaned as he shifted in his seat. Tea was sitting in her chair with her head resting on her arms on the hospital bed sound asleep. The three were mentally and emotionally exhausted and they knew it was only going to get worse. Joey gazed at his best friend's face. His skin was pale and his eyes had dark circles beneath them. His tri colored hair was strewn all about his pillow. His head slightly tilted to the side.

Suddenly a cell phone rang. Joey glanced around as he heard the chorus of 'Lips of an angel' go off. It was Tea's and coming from her purse. Joey bit his lip wondering if he should answer or not, but after a two second debate he carefully reached his hand into the side pocket and pulled it out.

"Private number?" Joey questioned. Glancing at his three friends he flipped open the small pink phone and whispered a greeting. "Hello?"

"Mutt? This is supposed to be Tea's phone! Why are you whispering?" Joey grimaced as he recognized Kaiba on the other end.

"Tea fell asleep and I'm whispering because I don't want to wake anyone up!" Joey growled through his teeth. Why was he calling anyways? "What do you want?"

"I want to know what's going on." Kaiba replied flatly. Joey sighed and rubbed his forehead. He glanced briefly at Yugi.

"Yug's in the hospital. He's sick."

"How bad?"

"I…I don't know. He's still unconscious. The docs don't know when he'll wake up." Joey replied. The line was silent for moment as Kaiba thought of a response.

"Then let me know when he does or if his condition changes." Kaiba spoke. Joey stared at the cell phone confused. When he replaced the phone to his ear his voice was filled with caution.

"You've never cared about the welfare of him before, so why the sudden interest?"

"It's not for me, it's for Mokuba. He's upset." Kaiba replied smoothly.

"Oh…" Joey stared at his fingers. For a moment it had almost sounded like the man was concerned.

"Just tell me if anything changes." The line went dead and Joey flipped Tea's phone closed. He suddenly snorted to himself. That must have been the first time Kaiba hadn't yelled at him for his stupidity or 'poor' dueling skills.

Another day went by and then another, and another and Yugi's condition still hadn't changed. And yet his friends stayed by his side constantly. The doctors were surprised at how devoted to this one child they were. Why was this one vertically challenged kid so special? It was about midnight around this time and everyone was sound asleep except for Joey.

"Do you remember the day I was taken over by Marik?" Joey asked his unconscious friend softly. Yugi didn't stir not like Joey was expecting him to. "You fought so hard to save _me_. You didn't run away or give up. You didn't care about your safety. You just cared about staying friends and bringing back my mind." Joey paused and sighed. "You never heard me. After you had attacked yourself with that card and fallen unconscious. You never heard my promise." Yugi's silent breathing was the only response. "I promised that I'd never let you die. I swore I would protect you and keep you safe. That as long as I was around y-you'd never be put in that situation again or ever have to worry. I promised to always be there for you. So you can't die on me now, Yugi. Do you hear m-me? If you die now that would make me a liar. You'd make me break my promise and Joey Wheeler never breaks a promise. So you have to w-wake up. Please, Yugi." Joey stopped as tears fell from his eyes and a lump formed in his throat. The heart monitor spiked. Joey stared into Yugi's face. Had he heard him? He sat there in quiet anticipation, but nothing happened. Joey bowed his head and rested it on Yugi's arm. He soon fell into a dreamless sleep and knew of no more.

"Why hasn't my alarm clock gone off yet?" Yugi thought to himself. His eyes were closed tightly. Grimacing he tried to move his arm, but it didn't budge. "Not again." Opening his eyes he gasped sharply as he realized he wasn't in his room. He tossed his head back and forth trying to figure things out. He began to panic. Grunting he forced himself to move. His arm budged. There was something on top of it! Yugi pulled harder, but the strain caused him to cough harshly. There was a sudden movement to his right and the pressure on his arm ceased.

"Yug'!" Joey cried. Yugi shook his head and tried to move. He hadn't a clue what was going on. "Yugi stop, you're going to rip the needles out of your arms!" Joey grasped Yugi by the shoulders trying to push him back down. Yugi stared at him terrified.

"W-Where am I?" Yugi asked his voice weak. His limbs trembled and his eyes held fear in there violet depths. "What's going on?!"

"Shh." Joey soothed. By this time the other two had woken up.

"What's going…Yugi! You're awake!" Tristan cried. Yugi jumped as he saw Tristan appear to his left. There was too much confusion for him to comprehend. "Yugi, are you alright?"

"He's just confused." Joey replied. "Yugi calm down." Yugi shook his head trying to rid himself of the blur in his vision. His heart rate skyrocketed causing the beeps to shriek. Yugi nearly jumped out of his skin and tried to climb out of the bed, but Joey and Tristan held him down.

"Tea, go get a nurse!" Tristan spoke. Tea nodded and rushed out the door.

"Yugi, it's me! Joey!" Joey cried embracing the frail body in his arms. Yugi tensed and tried to push him off. "Shh. It's alright." Yugi breathed heavily and held to Joey for dear life.

"What's going on? Where am I?" He asked again his voice shaking.

"You're in the hospital." Tristan replied quietly. He was shocked by Yugi's outburst. He gently stroked the boy's hair. Yugi's body suddenly relaxed and he slumped in Joey's arms. His eyes became half lidded from exhaustion and he had to fight to keep consciousness.

"I'm sorry we should have been awake." Joey whispered guiltily. Yugi stared at the two of them as his mind finally came into focus.

"I'm so confused." He spoke weakly.

"I know. Just stay calm, everything's alright." Joey replied calmly. The door banged open causing Yugi to jump again, but this time he didn't fight. Tea and a nurse came charging in. The nurse pushed Joey out of the way and gasped surprised.

"You're awake!" She spoke. "I'll go get the doctor." She turned around and left in a haste. Tea inched over. Yugi blinked.

"Yugi?" She covered her mouth with her two hands. Tears were streaming down her face. Yugi tilted his head to see her. He smiled weakly. Tea rushed over and hugged his frail shoulders tightly.

"You all act as if I died." Yugi spoke. He patted Tea's shoulder weakly with his hand.

"That's because you almost did." Tristan replied. He had tears in his eyes as well. Yugi grimaced when Tea let go. His body was beginning to ache again.

"What happened?" He questioned.

"I found you passed out in your house." Joey replied quietly. "About a week ago."

Yugi didn't answer. He stared at the ceiling thinking. Now was the time to worry. He lifted his hand and examined the numerous needles stuck in his skin. He then let it flop to the bed as his strength began to leave him. Why was he so tired?

"Yugi? Why didn't you tell us?" Tea sniffed. She grasped his hand tenderly. Yugi blinked a couple of times trying to keep his eyes open.

"What?" He questioned.

"Why didn't you tell us you were so sick? We thought it was just a little thing." Joey spoke. Yugi looked at him confused. He then scanned the walls and the heart monitor above his head.

"Where am I?" Their hearts jolted in shock as Yugi relapsed into his confusion. They glanced at each other in fear. At that moment the doctor walked in.

"Well Mr. Yugi you're finally awake. How are you feeling?" The doctor questioned smiling. Yugi stared at him for a long moment obviously not comprehending what was just said.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Dr. Kamura. I'm here to take care of you."

"Am I sick?"

"Yes, you are very sick right now." Yugi's friends shifted their gaze back and forth between the doctor and their friend uneasily. "Nurse, take care of him please. The rest of you, please follow me."

The friends stood up a little hesitantly and followed the doctor out of the door. They could see the nurse through the window checking Yugi's breathing and such. The doctor cleared his throat and shifted his nose- rimmed glasses.

"Doc. Why is he so confused?" Joey asked shakily. The doctor smiled understandingly and nodded his head.

"He's not all there right now. It's common with patients who have been unconscious for a long period of time."

"But will he get better?" Tristan questioned uneasily. The doctor sighed.

"It might in time, but with his type of condition I'm not sure. Alls we can do is wait."

"So we just wait around until he dies?" Joey asked incredulously. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

"Joey…" Tea spoke.

"No! There has to be something! I can't just sit around and watch him lose his mind. There has to be some medication that can help!" Joey was shaking with rage. Tristan put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's understandable. But please be patient. I don't want to give him any more medication unless it's absolutely necessary. The amount of drugs he's on is already unhealthy. To add more could cause some nasty effects and just cause him to get worse faster." The doctor paused and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Now, I know this is going to be hard for you but I'm going to have to separate you from him right now."

"What why?" Tristan exploded. "He just woke up!"

"I know, but we have a series of tests that we're going to have to run on him right now. This gives you a perfect time to go home, take a shower, and gather your thoughts and relax for a while."

"But…" Tea started.

"You all need to go and get some decent rest. He'll be fine. I will call you when you can visit again, but I'm pretty sure there's no job that's going to let you off of work for two months straight." Dr. Kamura replied. The three bowed their heads. Joey glanced to the window and noticed Yugi peering off to the side with a slightly terrified look on his face.

"Are you sure he'll be alright?" He asked quietly. The doctor nodded.

"And just so you feel better I'll let you go in and talk to him for about another hour. I suggest you go in one at a time though. To many things going on at once may cause him to panic." Tristan and Joey snorted at the thought.

"Thanks." Tea replied. The doctor nodded and walked off down the hallway to his other patients. The nurse came walking out. She smiled.

"You can go in now." Then she left in the same direction as the doctor. The three friends stood around for a moment gathering their wits.

"Joey you can go first." Tristan spoke. Joey looked at him. "Go ahead." Joey nodded a thank you and walked inside closing the door behind him.

He stepped in silently and cleared his throat. Yugi peered at him with a tired expression. Joey smiled and sat beside his friend and grasped his pale, cold hand.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I don't know." Yugi replied. His voice shook from fear and exhaustion. "How are you feeling?"

"Worried and afraid. And slightly peeved." Joey replied. "Why didn't you tell us you were so sick?"

"To keep you from worrying too much and it wasn't something I wanted everyone to know about." Yugi replied smiling weakly.

"I just wish…I just wanted to be ready for…this. It all seems like a bad dream." Joey's voice wavered and tears pricked at his eyes. He sniffed and brushed them away with the back of his hand. "Yug', I can't stand to see you like this. Not you." Joey burst into tears and embraced his dying friend. Yugi felt tears prick at the corner of his own eyes now. He gently hugged Joey back.

"Come on now. I'm not dead yet. There's no reason to cry." Yugi spoke smiling. Joey sat up still sniffing slightly, but smiled. He laughed a bit and wiped away his tears.

"I know. Just couldn't help myself. I swear the only times I've ever cried in front of someone was after I met you. "

"Now, what's that supposed to mean?" Yugi joked. Joey laughed and hugged him again. The two sat there for a moment. "Joey?"

"Yeah?"

"Will they ever let me go home?" Joey peered up into Yugi's face. He wanted to say 'yes of course' or even a 'maybe' but he knew better than to lie. Not now.

"I don't think so." He replied sadly. Yugi closed his eyes and grimaced as another wave of pain hit him. Joey held his hand comfortingly. "Yug, the doctor says we have to leave ya for a bit." Yugi's head snapped to the side.

"What are they going to do?" He questioned afraid.

"They just want to run some tests. It'll be all right. I swear we'll come back." Joey reassured. Yugi smiled weakly.

"I know. I just hate hospitals."

"I know." Tears threatened Joey's eyes again but he forced them back. "Th-The other two are going to come in now, okay? I'll see as soon as I can." He bent down and gave Yugi another hug. He didn't want to let go, but somehow he forced his limbs to retreat. With a final good bye Joey walked out the door.

"Next." Joey spoke quietly when the door shut. Tea nodded her head and walked inside.

"He'll be alright." Tristan reassured.

"I know. It's just…why him?"

"I don't know. Damn that saying _'the good die young._"

"Hey Yugi." Tea walked up slowly and gently hugged her friend. "It's good to see you're awake."

"Have I been asleep long?"

"About a week." She replied sadly.

"Why so long?" Yugi asked. It made Tea's heartache at how confused he was.

"You passed out. Remember? Can you remember anything?" She was beginning to sound desperate.

"I remember walking with you." Yugi replied. "I'm sorry for upsetting you."

"It's not your fault. I'm just worried." She sighed and stared down at his hand. "I didn't join the tournament."

"What? How come?" Yugi asked shocked.

"Because I wanted to stay with you. I didn't want you to stand on the sidelines by yourself. It just wouldn't feel right."

"But…I…" Yugi felt the guilt rise. He was angry with himself for catching this…this disease or whatever it was. "Damn it! That's why I didn't want you guys to know. I'm sorry Tea. I…this…"

Tea bent over and hugged him burying her face in his chest. Yugi sighed and did the best he could to hug her back.

"There are a million other chances to join a tournament, Yugi. But I only have one chance with you." She suddenly began to sob. Yugi was silent. He couldn't stand seeing his friends go through this. Why did he have to die so young? Why, oh why, oh why?

After a few moments Tea got up and left. Then it was Tristan's turn.

"How are you feeling buddy?" Tristan questioned seating himself next to the bed. Yugi looked up at him with unease.

"I'm scared out of my wits. I've had two friends cry on top of me and I feel really bad." Tristan reached over and touched the top of his friend's head. He smiled gently.

"They'll be fine. They're just worried. We're all worried. You were unconscious for so long we weren't sure you were going to wake up." Tristan cleared his throat as a lump began to form. "Did someone already tell you about what the doc said?"

"I think Joey said something about going on vacation." Tristan tired to hide his laugh. "Did I confuse it again?"

"Only a little bit." Tristan smiled. "They have to run some tests on you."

"Why? They already know what I have. I don't want to know what else is wrong with me." Tristan chuckled again.

"I don't know why, but you'll be fine." Tristan wiped away a tear. His hands were slightly shaking. Yugi smiled sympathetically.

"Would you like to cry on me too?"

"Nope, nope." His voice was strained through his tough guy act. "But I will do this which I don't do very often." He bent down and gave a surprised Yugi a gentle hug. Yugi patted him on the shoulder.

"Thanks Tristan."

"Anytime. Take care of yourself Yugi. We'll be back." Tristan walked out and discovered the doctor waiting on the other side of the door. The doctor nodded his head in acknowledgement and walked in. "Ready guys."

"Yeah." Tea replied. She had her arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Can you guys give me a ride? A cop took me here."

"Sure."

The three friends walked out of the hospital and piled into Tristan's truck. Their ride was silent each in their own musings. Tristan pulled up to Tea's house first and let her out. Joey suddenly remembered.

"Tea, wait!" Tea stopped and turned around. "Kaiba called earlier. He wanted to know when Yugi's condition changed. He's under a private number in your phone.

"Oh okay. I'll call him." She waved goodbye as the two men drove off and then walked into her house.

She plopped her purse down on the couch and kicked off her shoes. She immediately headed into her bedroom where she found a new set of clean clothes. As she searched for a shirt she accidentally bumped her nightstand causing numerous objects to slide off. Growling frustrated she bent down and retrieved her items. Picking up a picture frame she chocked and had to hold back a sob. It was a picture of her and Yugi during graduation. Their hats were off and the two were playing swords with their diplomas. It was a silly picture, but that just made it all the more heartbreaking. Setting back on her stand she grabbed the first shirt she saw and quickly walked into her bathroom.

She stood reminiscing as she allowed the hot water to cascade down her hair, shoulders, and back. Her tears mingled with the beads of water and sweat on her face. How could life be so cruel? After about an hour in the shower she dried off and got dressed. She quietly walked to the couch and plopped herself down cell phone in hand.

Staring at the phone distantly she flipped it open and searched for the private number Joey was talking about. Locating it she hit the call button. The phone rang once, then twice, and in the middle of the third someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Kaiba. It's Tea." She spoke softly. "You wanted to know if Yugi's condition changed."

"Yeah. How is he doing?"

"He woke up this morning. He's a little bit confused right now though."

"How so?"

"Well, he doesn't remember what people say or he gets it mixed up with something else. When he first woke up he couldn't understand why he was in the hospital. He seemed to forget he was sick all together."

"Will he get better?"

"I don't know. The doctors don't know. Nobody knows anything! They told us to just wait and see what happens. They give him to months to live and we're supposed to wait?! Wait for what? Until he's six feet under?" Tea had to take a breath to calm herself down. She felt so angry all of a sudden. "I'm sorry Kaiba. I didn't mean to rant in your ear."

"It's understandable. So he's awake."

"Yeah. But you can't visit him right now. They kicked us out so they could run some tests. They think he should be done by tomorrow."

There was silence on the other line. For a moment Tea thought he had hung up on her, but then she heard a sigh.

"Can you let me know when we can? Mokuba really wants to see him." Tea almost thought she heard a hint of pleading in his voice, but quickly dismissed it.

"Sure."

"Thank you." Kaiba hung up the phone leaving Tea alone to ponder on the peculiar attitude of the older brother.

"Seto! Was that them? Can we see him now?" Kaiba was sitting on his sofa staring at his black cell phone. Mokuba was by his side bouncing with excitement.

"There's good news and bad news." Kaiba replied.

"What's the bad news." Mokuba asked hesitantly.

"The bad news we can't see him right now."

"Then what's the good news?" Mokuba questioned shifting in his seat.

"The good news he woke up." Kaiba allowed a small smile to grace his lips as he watched his brother's eyes light up. Mokuba lunged and hugged his brother tightly around the waist.

"But if he's awake why can't we see him?"

"They have to do some tests. Gardner said we may be able to see him tomorrow."

"Now you're saying we as in you and me? Right?"

"Well, you will go see him. If I have time I might pop in." Kaiba spoke a little to quickly causing Mokuba to grin devilishly.

"You want to see him to don't you? You're worried."

"No I'm not. I'm doing this for you."

"Why don't you just admit it?"

"Here then. I'm curious to see how he's doing." Kaiba replied smirking. Mokuba rolled his eyes and gave his brother another hug. "It's late you should get to bed."

"But, what if something else changes?"

"I'll be the first to wake you up."

"But…"

"Bed." Mokuba gave a small pout but did as he was told. Saying good night to his older brother he bounced up the stairs to his bedroom.

Kaiba turned his head back to the phone still in his hand. He had a hard time believing the situation at hand. He didn't want to believe it. He wanted to walk up to that hospital bed where Yugi lay supposedly dying and see him jump to his feet and laugh in his face saying it was all a joke. He didn't want to believe that it could actually be real. As much as he hated to admit it Yugi was the closest thing to a friend he's ever had and he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it at least a little bit. The man was his rival! They played against each other constantly even after the pharaoh was gone. How could he just up and leave? The day from a week ago passed through his mind.

"_Tired?" Yugi looked up and was met with a smirking CEO. "Shouldn't you be over there signing up with your stupid friends?"_

"_Hn? Oh, not this time. I'm just going to watch." Yugi replied._

"_What?" Kaiba asked perplexed. "I was expecting you to jump for the chance!"_

_Yugi shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Are you dueling?" he asked. Kaiba shook his head no. "And there's no bad guy running loose so I think this'll be a good break." _

"_Humph. I know you. There's more to it than that." Kaiba smirked folding his arms. Yugi just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Don't lie."_

"_I guess you caught me." Yugi chuckled. Kaiba noticed Yugi's voice wasn't as powerful as usual when they talked. He was quiet, almost weak sounding._

"_What's the real answer?" Kaiba questioned folding his arms._

"_Just a little sick." Yugi stated. "And I don't believe I'll be getting better anytime soon."_

That statement had caught him so off guard. _"I don't think I'll be getting better anytime soon."_ …Anytime soon. Kaiba knew the reason now, but it still seemed so unreal. Yugi has faced numerous life or death situations and has come home unscathed and has saved the world countless times against unimaginable odds only to be defeated by a sickness that infiltrated his body. Ironic how life works. He's saved so much only to turn around and fall ill from some stupid heart condition and the people around him can't save him. It's pathetic. Even with all the money in the world there's nothing they can do. He's doomed to die an early death.

Kaiba ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. For some reason he was beginning to feel depressed.

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Well hope you liked this chapter. I really hate writing the beginnings. Later on Yugi's going to become quite stubborn and the tournament will be starting. It's been a while since I've looked at this story so I hope it came out right. Thanks for reading and review. The more reviews the quicker the next chapter comes!

Ya'll have a good night!

-Tragedyluver


	4. Chapter 4

Hey all! It's been awhile! Guess what I updated!!! Yay!! Sorry for the wait but here it is.

Thanks to all my reviewers!! I'm glad you guys have enjoyed the story so far. I hope you're still with me!

One with the sadness! R&R please….

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**Fading Sunset Chap 4: A sunset yet to be reached.**

Yugi lay awake in his hospital bed contemplating his situation. The agonizing tests had been completed an hour ago leaving him alone, tired, and drugged in the little white room. Obviously the doctors hadn't called back his friends probably finding it best for all of them to get some decent sleep. Deep down he was feeling a little frightened staying in this hospital with unknown people all around helpless. The drugs they had put him on made his body numb and his mind hazy. He couldn't think clearly and every time he'd try and move the room would spin. He didn't like it here. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go back to the peer and sit on the bench letting all his worries just disappear.

The heart monitor weakly beeped the boys sufferings. It was the only noise he could hear and it wasn't brining him any kind of comfort. Yugi groggily moved his head to the side searching for a window. There was a small one to his left, but it was covered with rectangular blinds. He then moved his head around to find a clock. There was one on the far wall but his vision was too fuzzy for him to make out the time.

"I don't want to be here anymore." Yugi muttered weakly. He attempted to sit up but his heart screeched in protest. A passing nurse came rushing in the room to see if everything was all right.

"My dear, you mustn't move. You need to rest." She stated kindly pushing him back on the bed. Yugi was too weak to resist and reluctantly fell back onto the white sheets. Lifting a shaking hand he pointed toward the blinds. "You want those opened?"

"Please." He wheezed. The nurse nodded her head and walked over to the window. Pulling on the string the blinds rose up revealing a pathetic view of the busy streets below. Yugi coughed and turned his face away. The nurse catching his reaction nodded her head and shut them again. She returned to his side and gently patted his hand.

"You really should get some rest dear. You must catch your strength." Yugi looked up into her kind eyes. His breaths hitched in his chest as he tried desperately not to sob.

"I don't want to be here." He choked. The old woman smiled gently and cupped his cheek.

"Nobody does, dear. Everything will be alright."

How? He was going to die. He was doomed to wait out his final days in the confines of a hospital bed with needles pricking his skin and endless amounts of drugs consuming his mind. How was it going to be alright?

Yugi turned up to her, his eyes glossy.

"W-When can I go home?" He questioned pleading. His mind was beginning to drift into the unknown recesses of confusion again. The nurse knew this patient was terminal and didn't have much longer. The look in his eyes told her he knew it as well. Sighing she leaned in close and comfortingly gripped his fragile hands minding the various needles.

"Soon." She replied. "Very soon."

With that she brushed the boy's fallen bangs away from his face and walked out the door hiding the single tear that had escaped from her wrinkled eye. Yes, soon he would finally be going home.

Early the next morning Tea awoke to the ring from her cell phone. Immediately she recognized the doctor on the other end. After a two minute conversation she hung up and leaped from her couch quickly getting dressed. Grabbing her purse and her car keys she raced from the house dialing Joey's number in the process.

Fifteen minutes later she arrived at the hospital. The two men were waiting for her near the entrance as she came jogging up.

"Hey, guys." She greeted warmly.

"Hey." Joey replied. Tristan nodded in greeting.

"How'd you guy's sleep?" She asked as they walked through the doors and headed toward Yugi's room.

"I was awake for half the night and then tossed and turned for the rest." Joey answered solemnly.

"I don't remember." Tristan spoke. "I remember making it home and then seeing my couch. How about you?"

"I tossed and turned all night, too."

They were silent the rest of the way to the room. Joey was the first to enter. Yugi was still asleep and by the looks of it he hadn't been sleeping well either. His face was pale and his eyes had dark circles beneath them.

"Looks like he's asleep. We'll come back later. I need to get to work." Tea whispered.

"Yeah, I gotta get goin' too." Tristan replied. "Tell him we said hi." Joey nodded his head as the two retreated back out the door. As he was about to sit down Tea popped her head back in.

"Oh, I called Kaiba. He and Mokuba might drop in sometime today." Tea warned.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out." Joey muttered. Tea nodded and left.

Joey sat there for a time watching his friend sleep. He had a feeling this wasn't going to be one of Yugi's good days. The wheezing in the boy's chest seemed extra loud today and the heartbeats seemed just a little more off. He reached over and grabbed his friend's hand squeezing it comfortingly.

There was a soft click and a nurse entered the room.

"Oh, you must be one of Mr. Mutou's friends." She replied holding her clipboard to her chest. Joey nodded. "Well, um, you'll be happy to know his tests went well. Um…"

"Is he feeling alright?" Joey interrupted concerned. "I mean besides all this, but he just sounds really weak today."

"He's tired. He didn't sleep hardly at all last night. And then some of the medicine he's on isn't helping matters. But don't worry, he'll sound a little better when he wakes up."

"Why wasn't he sleeping well?"

"Well, you know it was his first night actually conscious in the hospital so he was a little uneasy. His chest was also causing him some discomfort so that didn't help either."

Joey nodded and turned back to his friend's pale face. The nurse strode over and checked the IV's and the rest of the medical equipment. She scratched a few things on her clipboard and then strode off out the door.

About an hour and a half passed until finally Yugi began to stir. Joey stayed quiet not wanting another outburst like last time and waited patiently for him to become aware of his surroundings.

"J…Joey?" Yugi asked. His head fell to the side weakly as he tried to focus on his friend. Everything was feeling really numb this morning.

"Hey. How you feeling."

"Eh." Was the quiet reply. Yugi blinked his eyes a couple times trying to rid his sleep. His body felt heavy and drained.

"Tristan and Tea said to say hi. They had to go to work but they'll be back." Joey's voice was full of enthusiasm as he tried to mask his worry and depression.

"Oh…okay." Yugi replied sleepily. Joey brushed away the fallen bangs. Yugi cringed and touched his chest lightly with his hand. He tried to breathe deeply but the tube in his nose made if feel awkward and uncomfortable.

"The nurse said you weren't sleeping well last night. How come?" Joey asked trying to start a conversation. He noticed Yugi's pain and was desperate to detour the boy's thoughts away from it.

"When?" Yugi asked confused. He cringed again as the heart monitor jumped slightly.

"You don't remember last night?"

"I saw you guys and then…"Yugi didn't finished as he took a sharp intake of breath. The monitor spiked again. Yugi weakly stared up at the constantly beeping machine as if it were the source of his pain. His fingers were clutching the hospital gown desperately as the pain increased.

"Do you want me to get a nurse?" Joey asked concern lacing his words. Yugi shook his head and smiled gently.

"I-It'll pass." Yugi replied slightly breathless. But even as he said those words the pain increased dramatically. He squeezed his eyes shut in desperation. A warm hand found his and held it tightly.

"Let me get a doctor, they'll take it away." Joey pleaded. He couldn't stand seeing him like this. Yugi still shook his head. "Why not? It'll help!"

"Because…I don't like the way i-it makes me feel." Joey let his eyes travel up to the monitor. It was beating randomly with sharp spikes. He was no doctor but he knew it wasn't normal. Yugi yelped as a particular large spike shot through the monitor making it scream.

"I'm sorry, Yugi." Joey apologized and struck the nurses button.

Within seconds a nurse came rushing in immediately seeing the patient's pain marred face. Locating the medicine she immediately injected into one of the IV's. Slowly the pain ebbed away leaving Yugi's body numb and weak. The nurse smiled sweetly and left.

"Sorry Yugi." Joey apologized again. He was feeling slightly guilty as Yugi coughed and his eyes drooped.

"When I wake up…" He drawled. His sentence was left unfinished as he fell unconscious.

"Seto, can we go now? Please!" Mokuba begged.

"Give me a minute." Kaiba replied ever-so-slightly annoyed. He was trying to finish a report that was due.

"But Seto." Mokuba whined. Kaiba felt like puffing out his cheeks to block the number of words he felt like using.

"He's not going anywhere." Kaiba replied instead. Mokuba crossed his arms impatiently.

"You know," Mokuba spoke an idea popping into his mind. "His friends are probably all at work right now, so you probably wont have to deal with them."

Kaiba's fingers halted atop the keyboard. Three small clicks of a mouse and the CEO closed his laptop and stood to his feet.

"Lets go."

"Thought so." Mokuba giggled.

The two left the building and entered the Kaibas' slick black corvette. The two brothers sat in silence for a time each lost in their own thoughts. About fifteen minutes into the trip Mokuba spoke.

"Seto."

"Hn."

"Do you think it's possible to save Yugi? I mean maybe he just needs a transplant or a blood transfusion." Kaiba sighed and glanced at his brother's hopeful face. He hated to mar it with the truth.

"Mokuba…" What does he say? Should he be brutally blunt or sugar coat it? "I don't know." He lied. "But the chances aren't looking so well. You have to remember he's been in this condition for five years. I'm sure if there was a solution they would have explored it by now."

Mokuba's face fell in sorrow. Tears welled up in his eyes at the thought of losing one of his friends.

"It's not fair." He sniffed. "He doesn't deserve to die."

Kaiba reached out and gripped his brother's shoulder comfortingly. "I know. It'll be all right." Empty words and he knew it.

The silence continued until they reached the hospital. Parking the car the two entered the enormous building and immediately headed for the information desk. With a quick conversation they headed off to Yugi's room, two floors up.

"Oy, Yugi what am I going to do with you?" Joey muttered resting his head on the railing.

Yugi's face was serene but Joey could almost swear he could see a tint of anger on those gentle eyebrows. Boy was he going to get it when he woke up. Well, figuring Yugi remembered anything. He couldn't imagine forgetting things so quickly or the confusion that Yugi was going through. It really must bring down his moral. Heck it was definitely bringing down his.

He sighed heavily causing his bangs to rustle. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

"Joey?" Joey's heart leaped to his throat as he was startled. He hadn't heard the door open in his musings.

"Mokuba? Kaiba?"

"Hey." Mokuba smiled gently. Kaiba stayed silent his eyes transfixed on the person in the bed.

"Um, yeah. Tea said you'd be coming. I….The doctor gave him a sedative so…." Joey stuttered. Awkward. "I'll leave you be." Standing from his seat he made his way around the smaller brother. Just before he opened the door Kaiba reached out and gently but firmly grabbed Joey by the upper arm.

"I need to talk to you before we leave." He stated low in his throat. Joey nodded and exited the room. Kaiba returned his eyes back to the sleeping form. Mokuba was already next to the bedside one hand gently grasping the patient's.

"He looks so pale." Mokuba whispered as Kaiba joined him.

"Hm."

Kaiba leaned against the part of the wall not occupied by the variety of machines. He gazed at his rival with his usual stone mask but on the inside his heart was aching. So this is how far a man could fall. One of the greatest and strongest people Kaiba had ever known was now just a feeble, weak body wasting away in a hospital bed. Was he still in there? Was that brilliant mind still working or had it wasted away like his body? Was he still Yugi?

The small sniffling next to him brought his mind out of its revelry. He wrapped his two strong arms around his younger brother and held him close. Mokuba was right. This wasn't fair.

"Mokuba stay here. I'll be back."

"Where're you going?" Mokuba asked wiping away his trail of tears.

"I need to go have a talk." Kaiba replied. Giving his brother a gentle squeeze he walked out the door. He found Joey leaning against the far wall, his head bowed. The door shut with a click and the blonde peered up. "Wheeler."

"Yeah?" Kaiba observed how the man didn't hold his shoulders up with confidence like he usually did. Nor did he have that usual spark in his eyes. Instead he seemed drained. His shoulder's slumped and his eyes drooped from lack of sleep. His mouth was in a grim thin line not the usual obnoxious grin. It was sad to see the effects this depression had caused.

"How are you doing?" Joey looked taken aback by the question. His biggest rival and enemy just asked how he was feeling. This world just went topsy-turvy.

"Surviving, I guess." He replied warily. Kaiba rolled his eyes and leaned on the wall opposite the blonde. "You?"

"Fine." He replied with no emotion.

"What'd you want to ask me?"

"I have some business issues we need to get cleared up." Kaiba stated. Joey snorted and dropped his head.

"You know for a minute there I actually thought you cared about him."

"I'm as pissed as you are for having to bring this up." Kaiba snipped. "But whether you like it or not this world is still rotating and I have things I have to take care of. So do you!"

"I know that! But right now Yugi's my first priority. I could give a rip of what the rest of the world's doing. Right now my best friend is dieing in that room confused and scared. For God's sake Kaiba every time he wakes up he can't remember what happened just an hour ago!"

"Perhaps not, but that doesn't mean you should shy away from your responsibilities. I'm as ripped up as you are to see him wasting away in that bed, but think about it Wheeler. What would he think if he knew what you were doing? If it were you in that bed, would you want everyone to stop their lives and forget everything?"

"No."

"Then figure it out and let's get this over with." Kaiba took a deep breath to quell his anger as Joey bowed his head again slightly ashamed. "Now, I need to know if the two of you are still planning to participate."

"Of course n…!" Joey stopped mid sentence and turned his face to the side. Yugi knew they were signed up for the tournament, if he found out they quit… "Let me talk to Yugi when he wakes up."

Nodding Kaiba sighed and folded his arms.

"So…how is he?" Kaiba asked changing the subject.

"Eh, better than he was yesterday, but his heart was giving him some trouble earlier today."

"How so?"

"It was spikin' all over da place and causin' him a lot o' pain." Joey sighed and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. "He's been dealin' with that for five years and not once did I ever catch on."

"The pain was probably only noticeable recently. If he's been hiding it for that long you probably wouldn't have noticed it." Kaiba replied.

"Still, he's my best bud, more like a brother. I just feel…I don't know. I'm tired and I'm beginnin' to blab."

"Ninety percent of your life you're blabbing." Kaiba snorted. Joey smiled at the comment lighting his face slightly.

"That's probably true."

"Is there any hope of finding a solution?" Joey's face fell at the comment.

"No. This is finally it."

Kaiba dropped his gaze in remorse. So it really was true. The Game King was going to die.

Mokuba stroked Yugi's hand gently. The needles created a sort of lump in the skin. He stared at the pale face before him in sorrow. Yugi was his friend. He was always there for him and his brother. Seto may never admit it but if it hadn't been for Yugi neither of them probably would still be alive. Granted when he first met the little duelist he hated him. He would have done anything to make the kid's life miserable. But as time went on Mokuba couldn't help but be thankful he met him. That's what made the situation all the more worse.

He saw it in everyone's eyes. He may be young but he wasn't stupid. He knew there was no solution. Yugi was bound to die. There was no stopping it. Tears pricked at his eyes again. Frustrated he wiped them away. He wouldn't cry anymore. He refused to show his tears. It's not like Yugi was dead…yet. He was still here for at least another month. There was no reason to cry yet.

The door opened as the older Kaiba stepped in. Mokuba dropped his head.

"Can't we stay a little longer, Seto? Please?" He begged. "At least until he wakes up?"

"We'll come back tomorrow." Kaiba stated.

"But why?" Mokuba whined. He jumped as the hand he was holding slightly twitched. Two violet eyes blinked open, confusion evident in their depths. "Yugi?"

Yugi turned his face to the raven haired boy next to his bed. At first he didn't recognize the visitor but eventually it clicked. He gave a small smile and a wink to the kid causing the other to smile in return.

"Wheeler." Kaiba called. Joey popped his head through the door and smiled nervously when his friend locked eyes with him.

"I'm gonna kill you." Yugi wheezed. Mokuba flinched and Kaiba had to close his eyes as they heard the weakness in the man's voice.

"Maybe later." Joey joked. "The Kaiba's came to see ya."

"I can see that." Yugi replied. Mokuba giggled slightly and squeezed Yugi's hand. Kaiba allowed a small smirk to grace his lips.

"How are you feeling?" The boy asked.

"I don't know. I'm numb." He sent a fleeting glare at his best friend.

Yugi and Mokuba lapsed into conversation for a time. Mokuba spoke and Yugi listened smiling occasionally. Kaiba stood to the side and watched intently though he did allow a small tug on his lips. Joey stood at the far end of the room giving them privacy. After a while Kaiba cleared his throat.

"What's up big brother?" Mokuba questioned, praying it wasn't time to go.

"Yugi, I know this isn't exactly the best time, but _Wheeler_ needs to ask you something." Kaiba shot Joey a look. Yugi smirked knowingly.

"I was wondering when this would come up." He spoke gently. Joey scuffed his feet against the floor somewhat nervous and a tad guilty.

"Kaiba wants to know if Tristan and I are still plannin' on duelin'." He muttered. "But I'll stay here, to watch out for ya…"

"No you wont. I told you I was going to sit on the sidelines this time. Granted it's not as close as I first thought but I still want you to duel." Joey stared at the boy slightly hurt. Yugi smiled and continued. "I'd rather watch you on the TV having fun than have you next to my bed side moping."

Joey was silent for a moment. A smile eventually spreading across his face.

"You sure?"

"Yep."

"Okay, Kaiba we're still in."

"Good." Kaiba replied. "I expect to see you in a week then. Let's go Mokuba."

"Bye, Yugi! We'll visit you again!" Mokuba smiled giving Yugi a quick hug. He hopped from the chair and waved goodbye as the two brothers exited the room.

Joey returned to his original seat beside his friend and smiled gently.

"You seem to be doing much better than earlier today."

Yugi chuckled. "To tell you the truth I don't know what he said half the time."

"You could have fooled me." Joey laughed.

The next week went by in a blur and before they knew it the tournament was here.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Have you ever written two versions for the same section and not be able to figure out which you would rather use because both work fantastically? Yeah, the other version I wrote for this was filled with tear-jerking sadness but I didn't use it because…I just didn't. Maybe at the end of the story I'll make a chapter specifically for blips that just didn't make it. Then you can decide which was better. But that wont be for a while.

Hope you liked the chapter! Thanks for reading!!

Review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Tragedyluver


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